


Making Her Own Destiny

by Away_From_Keyboard



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Character Death, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Fluff and Smut, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, I hated the canon endings so I made my own, Self-Sacrifice, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:48:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28141881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Away_From_Keyboard/pseuds/Away_From_Keyboard
Summary: Spoilers for multiple events and endings of Cyberpunk 2077 ahead, and a warning for smut.Now a collection of various imaginings and reimaginings of different events throughout the storyline (and after) of Cyberpunk 2077
Relationships: Johnny Silverhand & Female V, Judy Alvarez/Female V
Comments: 11
Kudos: 200





	Making Her Own Destiny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really disliked most of the canon endings, so I wrote my own. For an RPG, the choices at the end sure suck. Warning, explicit sexual content and major spoilers for multiple endings of Cyberpunk 2077 ahead.

“If you need to call anyone, anyone at all, now’s the time”

“Judy.” V replied. “I need to call Judy.”

Reaching down, she pulled her phone out, hitting speed dial, where she kept her girlfriend’s number for easy access. Before it even started ringing, she picked up. “Hey V, what’s crackin?”

“Hey beautiful,” V responded. “You know what you’d said that day at the lake, about what you’d sensed in me.”

“Death,” Judy responds quietly.

“It’s high time I faced it.”

“You got a plan?” Judy asks.

“Yea. I’m gonna take some blockers, stock my ammo n’ shit, and storm Arasaka tower. No one else will die for me, not after what happened to Jackie.”

As she speaks, Judy’s lip starts to tremble. “Don’t you dare go kill yourself V. We’re supposed to leave NC together, can’t very well do that if you’re dead.”

“I have to do it this way. Any other way, and someone dies for me. I could accept Hanako’s offer of help, but that would be like chaining myself to Arasaka, and that’s the last thing I ever want with those scum sucking bastards.”

Judy takes a shuddering breath. “Alright, come by and get me. I want to stay with your friends while this crazy shit happens. And we’re going to visit your other friends.”

“Alright,” V mumbles. “I’ll start calling people.”

“I’ll see you soon beautiful,” Judy says with a smile.

“See you soon.” And with a click, the connection cuts off. V stands, making her way to the elevator. Before she gets in, she takes the last omega blocker, and puts the pseudoendotrizine in her pocket. Johnny is mercifully silent.

As the elevator makes its way down, she pulls up the contact for Kerry. It’s strange how the voice in her head was once his friend, and now he’s hers. “Hey V, what’s up?” he says, picking up.

“Hey Ker,” V replies quietly. “Just wanted you to know, I’ve got what amounts to a terminal condition cause of the thing that landed Johnny in my head. Arasaka is the only place I can reverse the thing and stop it from killing me, so I’m planning something out right now.”

“So what, you’re gonna go do what Johnny did?” he replies. “You’re gonna go get yourself blown the fuck up for no good reason?”

V’s composure slips for a moment at that. “Don’t say shit about stuff you don’t know” she gets out through clenched teeth.

Ker is silent for a moment while he contemplates. “Alright, yea, I get it,” he says. “Do your friends know?”

“Yea, told my girlfriend, and I’m calling my other friends now. I suspect most of them will want to be together now, so if you’d like to come down to Viktor Vector’s clinic that’s where most of them will be.”

“Thanks V,” Kerry says. “You waitin there for us?”

“Gotta go give my girlfriend a ride over here.” And set my affairs in order, she thinks, but doesn’t dare say out loud. Sounds too much like she’s giving up.

“I’ll see you soon then,” he replies before hanging up.

V steps out of the elevator, calling to Viktor and Misty as she does so. “I’ll be back shortly, gotta call some more friends, and then give Judy a ride back here.”

She makes her way out of Misty’s shop, and over to her car parked on the side of the road. She slides behind the wheel, the comforting noise of the massive engine behind her back coming to life. She pulls it out onto the main road as she pulls up River’s number, and he answers after a few rings.

“Hey V, what’s up?” he says.

“I wanted to let you know, the end of the road has finally arrived for me. I’ve got what’s basically a terminal condition, so tonight I’m gonna do something about it before it ends me. I haven’t got much time, so if you want to come visit, head to Viktor Vector’s clinic, I’ll be there in a bit.”

“Alright, V,” he replies. “I’ll be there, you can count on that. And you’re gonna explain what the hell you mean by terminal condition, and why I’ve never heard about this before now.”

“Yea, I will. I’ll see you soon,” V replies, and River hangs up.

One last call. She pulls up Panam’s number and rings her. “Hey, V, what’s up?”

“Hey Panam. You already know about the chip in my head, and what it’s doing to me. Well, time’s run out, so I’m gonna be making my move now. Would you be able to make it to Viktor’s clinic? I’m gonna try and explain to as many people as possible at once.”

Panam is silent for a moment. “Damnit V, what the hell are you planning to do?”

“I’ll be explaining shortly, if you can make it.”

“Yea, I’ll be there,” Panam replies. “But you haven’t heard the end of this from me.”

“’Course I haven’t. I’ll see you soon.” And with that, Panam disconnects. V realizes that she’s pulling into Judy’s apartment now, having driven the route so many times could do it with her eyes closed by now. Her phone buzzes with a message from Judy. ‘Help me out, will you. Need to move my stuff.’

Confused, V pops her door and makes her through the front and up the stairs, pausing for a moment so the door will let her pass. She walks in to find Judy putting all her stuff in boxes. “C’mon V, help me pack the last few things,” she says.

“Alright,” V replies with a smile. “What have you got so far? Wetsuits, clothes, your robotics, anything else?”

“You can go pack my clothes, nothing else besides that left. Toiletries are already in a bag on my bed.”

V moves over to her dresser, pulling open the top drawer to find a collection of skimpy clothing sitting on top of more regular stuff. She pulls it out, starting to fill the duffle bag, before moving onto the next drawer. Two more drawers she empties, both with skimpy clothing on the top of her more regular outfits. She shakes her head in amusement, Judy must have done that on purpose. Grabbing the duffle, now filled with all of Judy’s clothes, she makes her way back to the living room. Judy is leaning on the window.

“Hey beautiful,” she says, looking over her shoulder at V. “You got _all_ my clothes?”

V smiles at that, shaking her head. “Yea, all packed. Let’s get this downstairs.”

Judy smirks at her, moving to pick up her two boxes. “Yea, let’s.”

Together, they manage to fit the boxes in the front trunk of V’s Caliburn, and Judy slides into the passenger seat with her duffle on her lap. “I already notified my landlord that I was leaving and left my key on the counter for them. Will Vik mind if I stay with him for a bit?”

“I’m sure he won’t,” V replies easily. “We should be back in a few, Panam and River may take a bit longer though.”

“More time for us then,” Judy replies with an easy smile, placing her hand on the center console, which V slips hers into, squeezing.

“It’ll be all right, Judy,” V hears herself saying, though she doesn’t fully believe it herself.

Judy’s lip trembles at that. “Don’t say shit like that V. Just don’t.”

They drive the rest of the way back to Vik’s in silence, hands entwined. When they arrive, V slides out of her side and pops the trunk, grabbing Judy’s boxes and making for the apartment behind Misty’s shop, Judy close behind her. They put the stuff down in the empty bedroom that Jackie used to stay in sometimes, once upon a time. Now his stuff is stored in the closet of Misty’s room, and the room is like a second home for V.

“Since we’ve got a moment, V, I can think of a great way to pass the time,” Judy calls from the living room. V hadn’t even realized she was standing there alone. She makes her way out, seeing Judy standing there with her hand out, and V automatically puts hers out. Judy tugs her over, pushing her down on the love seat and planting herself on her lap.

“Hey,” she whispers to V, taking her face in her hands and kissing her. The two remain there, entangled in each other, in the intoxicating feel of their kisses, until a sharp knock at the door disturbs them. Viktor and Misty are first through, followed by Panam, River, and Kerry. They chuckle at the sight of the two on the love seat, to which V tries her best to hide her embarrassment, and Judy just curls into her side next to her. The others make their way over to the couch and chairs, sitting down and looking expectantly at V.

“Alright, V,” Panam says. “You’re gonna explain what the hell you’re planning on doing, right now.”

“Yea, alright” she replies. “Since not all of you know, here’s a rundown. I was part of a heist to steal a biochip from Arasaka. When it went wrong, I had to slot it into my own head to keep it intact. When the fixer, Dexter DeShawn, tried to kill me to hide his own tracks after the mission had gone south, the biochip brought me back. Along with a terrible side effect. It started to spread itself throughout my body, converting it to be like that of the personality stored on the chip. Johnny Silverhand. This process is killing me, so if I can’t get to the basement of Arasaka tower where they keep the only thing that can separate Johnny and the chip from me, I’ll die.”

River and Kerry sit in stunned silence, having not heard the story before, while the others are just pensive or worried. Judy burrows further into V’s embrace, her face dangerously close to tears.

“Fuck,” River says, breaking the silence.

“So, what’s your plan?” Panam asks. “Did you call us here for one last mission to storm Arasaka?”

“No,” V replies. “I’m going it alone. Just wanted to let all those who are dear to me know what I was going to do, leave all my cards on the table.”

Panam stands, pacing around her chair. “You’re gonna go face down Arasaka alone and kill yourself?! How the hell is that a plan?!”

“Listen to me,” V says quietly. “I’m going to do this alone. Last time I faced Arasaka with someone at my side, they died for it, and I nearly did as well. I’m removing everyone else from the equation. No one else will die while I get to live.”

Panam throws herself back down on the chair, cursing as she does so. River’s face is creased with worry, while Kerry is just shaking his head like he can’t believe it. Maybe it’s worse for him, first Johnny took off all those years ago to fuck with Arasaka and never came back, now the person with Johnny in her head, a good friend in her own right, will be doing the same. And she won’t have Rogue or Murphy, the best there was in Night City, to back her up. Just her, and the ghost in her head.

V curls her arm tighter around Judy, pulling her onto her lap, burying her face in her neck. She can feel the tremors wracking Judy, her girlfriend terrified that she won’t come back but too afraid to say it out loud.

“Alright, guys, it’s about time I head out. While the cover of darkness is still with me.” V says, her voice muffled by Judy, who just clings tighter to her at that. V’s pleading eyes meet Panam’s, asking for help. Panam makes her way over and V stands, forcing Judy to get up with her.

“I can’t swear that I’ll be back, but I’ll do my damn best to come back to you beautiful,” V murmurs, cupping Judy’s face in her hands and kissing her tenderly. Judy responds desperately, and when they pull back Panam places her arm around Judy’s shoulder, leading her over to the couch. V signals Viktor as she starts to leave the room, and he heaves himself up and follows her. They’re silent as they make their way over to V’s car.

Finally, V breaks the silence. “Vik, I need you to be the one to drive me, and to wait nearby for when I’m done.”

“Of course,” he responds. “You’ll need me to patch you up I’m sure.”

V manages a wry smile at that, knowing he’s not wrong. She slides into the passenger seat and plots a route for Arasaka tower as Viktor slides into the driver’s seat. The car’s engine roars as they fly along the roads, near deserted at this time of night. A block away from Arasaka HQ, V signals Vik to stop the car. She gets out, the streetlights reflecting against the metal lines on her arms where the deadly slashing blades are concealed. From the outside, she looks beautiful, yet not dangerous. It’s once you notice the telltale signs that you see what is hidden at first glance. Eyes unnaturally sharp from Kiroshi optics, gleaming metal on her arms where they can fold away to reveals hidden weapons, the corded muscles of her legs that link to the reinforced tendons, giving her unparalleled agility. A picturesque killing machine dressed in a Samurai jacket and combat boots.

“Weapons and other hazardous materials are not allowed on the premises,” the building’s security AI announces.

“Time to party like it’s 2023,” Johnny exults.

V walks serenely through the door scanner, not stopping when the Arasaka guards indicate, not batting an eye when they start to raise their weapons. In the blink of an eye, her blades extend and she’s leaping forward to land on them, a blade through each of their chests, twin looks of horror and surprise on their faces.

“We wish you a pleasant day,” it finishes, clearly not having got the message that V is here to play for keeps yet.

The remaining security in the lobby are already raising their weapons when V launches herself forward again, moving faster than their eyes can see, her blades cleaving the remaining pair of guards in the lobby to pieces. She sprints along the corridor, searching for elevators that may take her down to the next level. Behind her, the pounding of footsteps is getting louder and then a sudden shout of “Stop where you are!” breaks the near silence, accompanied by a hail of gunfire. V dashes behind a pillar, and when the gunfire stops but the smoke has not yet cleared, tosses a banger. After the deafening explosion of noise and light, she moves, whirling among the guards, blood and limbs falling to the floor in her wake.

She stops for a moment as she reaches the end of the column, the sound of the guards hitting the floor and her breathing the only thing apart from the ever-present mechanical whir of the building. Turning, V makes her way to the last guard she killed, the markings on his armor making it likely that he was the one in charge of the group. She fishes in his pockets for a moment, grabbing his access card before making her way to the bank of elevators. There, she swipes it, stepping in and punching the button for ‘Netrunner Operations’. The doors close just as an autonomous combat mech is dropped in from somewhere far above and V flips them the bird as the doors close and the elevator rockets downward.

‘Relic Malfunction Detected’ flashes across her view, the sudden pain and disorientation bringing her to her knees as she heaves, blood trickling down her upper lip.

“C’mon V, get up,” Johnny says, kneeling next to her. “We’re so damn close, don’t you dare gonk out on me now.”

The elevator opens into a slim corridor, not doubt with guards waiting at the end of it. V pulls a grenade, lobbing it down the corridor, and a moment later the sickening noise of humans caught in an explosion sounds, twin screams from the guards that were lying in wait for her. A grim smile on her face, she sprints down the corridor into the control room, dismembering another guard as she passes, leaping toward the last one at the other end of the room and burying her blades in his chest in the blink of an eye.

“Hey, over here!” Johnny calls from beside the window. “Ain’t no expert, but sure looks like the tower’s mainframe to me.” Below the window lies a web of data channels, all converging to a central point in the middle of the floor. V nods, making her way out onto the gantry on the other side of the room and swing herself over, landing quietly on the floor below. A contingent of robotic guards emerge from a door on the other side, searching for her.

Crouched behind a pillar, V pulls an EMP fragger from her pocket, priming it before lobbing it toward the bots. It detonates as it hits the ground in front of them, the sudden burst of energy frying their circuits in a brilliant shower of sparks. She sprints toward the booth at the other end of the room, prying the door open through sheer strength. Making her way to the terminal, she pulls up the local network and navigates to the mainframe controls. Pressing ‘Enable’, the central unit of the mainframe raises itself out of the ground, circuitry glowing on its sides.

V walks over to it, inspecting it for an access port.

“That’s the slot!” Johnny crows. “Let’s make Alt at home.”

“Sure hope your ex output performs as advertised” V mutters as she slots in the shard Alt had created for her.

“Security system overridden. I am in control.” The unnaturally smooth voice of Alt Cunningham comes over the intercom. At that moment, the doors burst open and another squad of Arasaka soldiers enter. With a sudden sound of frying electronics, they collapse on the ground.

“Threat from personnel neutralized,” Alt says. “The path to Mikoshi lies open.”

V makes her way to the large door at the opposite side of the room, waiting as the cameras scan her.

“Arasaka netrunners have stormed the tower’s systems. Stopping their advance is my priority. Continue on your way alone.” Alt’s voice over the intercom is strained as she works. “I’ve cleared you a path, but you must hurry. An elite security unit is following you.”

V rushes down the red lit hallway, stopping before the next door. After a moment of nothing, she kneels, putting her hands beneath the edge of the door to force it upwards. As she’s nearly raised it enough to slip under, she hears a horrible sound from behind her, like ripping metal, and looks over her shoulder to see a figure charging through the previous door.

“Smasher!” Johnny yells. V throws herself under the door, sliding along the floor, static filling the edge of her vision. A moment later, the tearing sound comes again, and she turns her head to see Adam Smasher himself standing in the doorway.

“Fucking meat. Bold and stupid of you to come here,” he grinds out. “Where is Rogue?! Wanted no part of this raid, the old cunt?! Once I finish you, I’ll hunt her down!”

V springs to her feet, her mantis blades extending from her forearms once again, heating to a red-hot glow as she raises them. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this Smasher,” she bites out before leaping at him. Her superheated blades leave gouges in Smasher’s armor-plated body as she twirls around him, slicing his gun in half first, then dodging his metal fists, cutting one off at the wrist and dodging around the other.

“YOU. ARE. NOTHING!” Smasher screams in rage as he tries to charge V, who sidesteps before lashing out as he passes, her blades cleaving his handless arm from his shoulder in a flash of molten metal. She lands another deft strike to his back, the plating melting off as the superheated blades cut it like butter.

He skids to a halt, turning back toward her and leaning forward, the rocket pod on his shoulder extending to a firing position. In a flash, V retracts her mantis blades and grabs her pistol from its holster, the Malorian Arms 3516 that was made for Johnny. Smasher twitches as she does so, recognizing the gun that V now holds. She brings it up and squeezes off a shot from the massive hand cannon, the bullet flying true and hitting the rocket pod next to Smasher’s head, causing it to detonate and throwing him to the ground.

“Is this… pain? I’d forgotten the sensation,” he says, his artificially generated voice now filled with static. He hauls himself to his feet, only to be floored as V empties the rest of the pistol’s magazine into him, rounds holing his one working shoulder and ruining his torso. Sparks flying, he falls to his knees, much of the armor plating that once covered his metal body reduced to scrap, his internal circuitry melting and sparking, a few small fires burning on his ruined body.

“Their defenses are breached. The path to the core lies open,” Alt intones.

V stands over Smasher, looking down at his ruined form, seeing his brain where the armor plating on the side of his head was ripped away. The last organic part of him that was left. “Johnny Silverhand sends his regards,” she says.

“Are you fucking with me now?” he grinds out.

“Wanted to flatline ‘im something bad, didn’tcha? I mean, you swore you’d crush him.”

Adam looks up at her, his body jerking. “You spoke to Silverhand? How’s this even possible?”

V gazes back. “Arasaka, like always. Just another of their sick, twisted inventions. Like you.”

And with that, she raises the pistol and dumps a round into his head, tearing it apart and blowing his brain to bits. The corpse of the metal monster topples over after that, falling back like a puppet with its strings cut. The last of Johnny’s missions, finished.

Turning from the ruined form, V jogs down the corridor toward the final gate that lies between her and Mikoshi. ‘Relic Malfunction Detected’ flashes again. She falls to her knees, one hand against the wall to support herself as static and echoes flash across her vision and hearing.

The door opens as she pushes herself back up and she walks through it, seeing the access point in the center of the circular room, a pillar of glowing red circuitry.

“We saw this place in a dream,” comes Johnny’s voice.

“Find the access point in the center of the room,” Alt says. V falls to her knees again, another relic malfunction wracking her body.

“C’mon, not much further to go,” Johnny says, his hologram kneeling in front of V as she looks up.

“You must connect to it. Then submerse yourself in coolant.”

V staggers to her feet, moving toward the access point, falling down again as yet another malfunction seizes her. She drags herself forward, twitching, to reach the point, pulling at the cable she needs to jack in as she does so. Her vision goes black for a moment as she jacks in, before returning as she crawls toward the coolant at the edge of the platform. “I’m comin, Judy,” V murmurs as she fades into unconsciousness, falling into the pool.

When she is aware again, she’s standing in the elevator behind Misty’s place, and it’s moving toward the roof. The door opens as it stops, and she makes her way out, along the hallway and up the stairs. V steps out of the doorway into the rain, moving toward the chairs on the roof, noticing something on the roof’s edge as she approaches. The necklace Vik made from the bullet he found in her skull after Dex shot her. She holds it up to the skyline, inspecting it. Her vision blurs, and the world seems to as well as she lowers her hand, and suddenly she was standing on a bridge of code in the virtual world, a pyramid in front of her.

Alt’s voice echoes from the ethereal edges of cyberspace around her, the words of a poem V doesn’t know the name of on her lips. As V climbs the pyramid, she sees another shape at the other end, Johnny. She walks up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We did it Johnny.”

“No, V,” he says. “You did it. A performance worthy of Johnny Silverhand and Rogue, to be sure, but you did it.”

Johnny’s representation seems to fade, ghosting along lines of data and reappearing in a booth. V walks over to slide into the opposite seat. “So, when can we get started?” she says.

“Haven’t caught on, have ya?” Johnny says.

“What? What do you mean?” V replies

“Alt’s already split us. As soon as you jacked into Mikoshi, she lit you with soulkiller.”

“Your output don’t fuck around,” V notes.

“I am not his girlfriend,” Alt states as she swirls into existence next to their ethereal forms.

“So, what’s next on the agenda, Alt?” V questions.

“I am currently verifying the checksum and eliminating engram copy errors in the process.”

“Wait,” V’s voice catches as she speaks, “you mean… I… Am I a construct?”

“Yes. To separate both you and Johnny, I had to remove you from your body. There is a critical issue I have discovered. The relic had sufficiently changed your body so that any attempt to simply reinsert you into the brain of the body, the organic one, would simply result in its eventual death, with at most half a year to live. The degradation has progressed too far.”

V can almost feel herself freeze at the words, going numb. “So that’s it, huh. All this work, and I die anyways. Or I let Johnny keep my body.”

“Jesus, Alt, you had us go through all this shit, and for what?!” Johnny yells. “Just so you could tell this poor gonk that she’s a walkin’, talkin’ corpse, that even if she makes it out of this damn place alive and gets back to her friends, her girlfriend, that they’re gonna have to watch her fuckin die?!”

“No,” Alt says, “I have figured out a way to correct the mistakes that Arasaka made. I have used my control over the Arasaka mainframe to acquire a new biochip, one of the several other prototype ones they produced after the first was stolen and am preparing to copy you to it. It will be inserted into your body, and the machinery within it will take control of the nanites left by the previous chip, copy you over to it, correct the damage that was caused and eject the new biochip when it is finished. Without the competition of a host, there is no worry of neural damage. It will be like you were never affected in the first place.”

V gapes at that, unsure what to say. “Thank you, Alt,” she finally manages to get out.

Alt’s digital form fades out, only to reappear over what looks like a coffin. V makes her way over, and as she does, Johnny phases into existence, sitting on the side of it.

“Now,” Alt intones, “please enter the well so that I may return you to your body.”

V sits on the side, looking over at Johnny. She can feel the sensation of wanting to cry, but in this digital world, the most she gets is an expression of sadness. Impulsively, she lunges forward to hug Johnny.

“I’m gonna miss you, you know,” she murmurs. “Even though your stupid chip did almost kill me, I will miss you. I’m so sorry you have to go so I can live.”

“I’ll miss you V,” Johnny replies, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing her tight. “But I won’t miss what it was doing to you. Now, go live that life of yours for the both of us. Tell that girl of yours you love her, and never let go. And when you’ve got some time, contact Alt, she’ll put us in touch.” He disentangles himself, pulling a hand on V’s shoulder as she climbs into the well, looking at her as she starts to slip back into her body. “Goodbye, V. And never stop fighting,” he says, his voice fading along with the world around V as she seems to fall, the world around her blurring and fading to black.

With a start, V wakes. ‘Relic Download Complete’ flashes across her vision. Gasping, she breaks the surface of the coolant, yanking the cable from her access port, watching as it retracts back into the glowing column in front of her. With a click, a biochip, this one undamaged, falls from her neural port onto the ground next to her. Moving, V finds her body responding to her, no signs of the pain or spasms caused by the relic remaining and levers herself to her feet. Once she is standing, she brings her heel down on the biochip, crushing it. _Good riddance_ , she thinks.

Turning towards the door, she extends her mantis blades. _Now, to escape this damn place. And nothing will get between me and life, my friends and the girl I love._

Back at the apartment, Panam flicks the tv to a news channel, blaring with alerts about a break in at Arasaka tower. The shaky camera footage shows a person with a pair of mantis blades, whirling among the Arasaka guards visible in the main lobby of the building before moving out of sight. The main feed switches to Gillean Jordan from N54 News as the footage they have of V continues to play on the bottom corner of the screen. “Tonight, an unknown assailant made their way into Arasaka tower, killing several guards before vanishing deeper into the building. Likely thanks to cyberware, the attacker’s face is obscured. However, their clothing is visible, and on the back of their jacket is a Samurai logo, the band to which the rockerboy Johnny Silverhand belonged. While not widely known, Johnny Silverhand was involved in two separate attacks against Arasaka while he was alive, one of them resulting in him going missing, and presumably his death. We can only speculate if this latest attack is some sort of homage to the band’s front man.”

Minutes pass as the news feed loops, someone eventually muting it. They sit in tense silence, waiting for any scrap of information. As the minutes pass, Judy seems to shrink in on herself. Noticing, Panam puts a hand on her shoulder and squeezes. “It’ll be all right Judy, I swear,” she says. “V’s a fighter, and you’re the best damn motivation she could ever have. She’s coming back, you’ll see.”

Judy manages a weak smile at that, before gasping and reaching for the remote to the TV. She hits unmute as the news cuts back to the street camera, once again aimed at the lobby. The same figure, who they know to be V, has reappeared, running along the atrium of the building, leaping forward to slash the small contingent of guards that were watching the front door before taking off running again. She stumbles as a rocket explodes a pillar to her right, falling and sliding as debris hits her.

Judy buries her face in her hands, peeking through her fingers, not being able to bear the idea of her girlfriend dying so close to freedom. Suddenly, the roar of an engine can be heard and the camera pans to a Caliburn that’s ripping along the street, brakes screeching as it passes the entrance, slowing down to a fast run. Its right door opens and the figure from the lobby dives in. Just like that, the door closes, bullets pinging off the armored shell, and the engine screams as the car shoots down the street, takes a corner and disappears.

Whe she realizes that V’s home safe, that they’ll be back any minute now she buries her face in her hands and lets out a shaky breath. Her face breaks out in a grin as she jumps up, shouting her joy for everyone to hear.

“Let’s fuckin go, V!” she yells.

The others all join her, while Panam raids the fridge, grabbing a few bottles for everyone and pouring glasses. She passes them around, before holding hers out to clink against the others. “To V, the craziest, wildest merc in the damn world.” With a shout, the others echo her.

Judy’s phone rings, and she answers immediately as soon as she sees that it’s from V. “Hey,” V’s voice comes over the call, “we’ll be back soon. It worked. Wait for me at the curb?”

The sounds of V’s car pulling up can be heard a minute later and Judy rushes out the door to meet her girlfriend at the curb. V staggers as she steps out of the car, Judy moving to catch her before she can hit the cement. Blood drips from a wound on her right side, where the shrapnel-like debris managed to somehow not hit her jacket and tore through the armored clothing she wears, taking a chunk of flesh with it.

Together, with Viktor in tow, they make their way down to his shop, laying V on the table carefully. Judy pulls the jacket off her and starts cutting off her shirt as Vik pumps her full of meds, bandaging her side once V is free of her clothes. V groans in pain as the bandage touches the open wound and Judy holds her hand tightly, not letting go as V’s head flops to the side as the sedatives take effect.

“Well, I’m impressed,” Viktor says. “I ran a scan as soon as we got her into that chair. Whatever she did in there really worked. The chip is missing, and the left-over nanites don’t seem to be actively harming V anymore. Silverhand seems to be gone and likely won’t be coming back. Now, she just needs to rest.”

At that, the others let out another cheer. Panam grabs River and Kerry, pulling them to her in a hug, dragging them over to stand with Misty and Viktor and Judy around V. River moves to gently lift V from the table, making sure not to disturb her. Judy stands with her, keeping V’s hand tight in her own. V’s head lolls as they move, her eyes wandering lazily until she sees her girlfriend. A smile makes its way onto her face, and she winks at Judy. By now they’ve made their way into the bedroom, River placing her onto the bed and stepping back.

“I think you can take it from here, yea?” he asks Judy.

“Course I can,” she replies, shooing him out. She strips V of her boots and pants, having already removed her jacket and shirt in Viktor’s clinic to treat her wounds. She pulls back the covers and moves V onto her back, before curling up at her side and pulling the cover over them. Together, the two drift off to sleep, knowing that she was safe and sound.

V wakes in a haze, her vision cloudy and her body heavy. An unknown number is ringing her, and she cautiously accepts. “Hello?”

“Hello V,” come the voice of Alt. “I just wanted to check that you are doing well. And to tell you of what I have done. Because you were able to slot the shard into Arasaka’s main network and give me access to their server that houses Mikoshi, I was able to take control of their global network. Before I proceed, I would like your opinion on what to do with it.”

V lay still for a moment, contemplating. “Lock them out of their own systems. I’d appreciate if you don’t annex it into your domain beyond the blackwall, because there’s a lot of good that could be done with it for the people of this world, but I don’t want Arasaka to have control of it.”

“Of course, V. Many of the engrams in Mikoshi were grateful for your actions that led to their freedom, and we owe you a great debt of gratitude. It will be as you say. Just contact me if you need my assistance again. Transferring control of Arasaka mainframes to you now.” And with that, Alt disconnected from the call.

V lay there in silence, feeling the soreness of her right side where the shrapnel had torn her flesh, and the weight on her left side and shoulder where her girlfriend was curled up against her. She brought her hand up to brush Judy’s cheek, turning to kiss her on the nose. Judy scrunched her face at that, still asleep. Her eyes fluttered open, and when she realized V was awake, buried her face in V’s neck, stifling a sob.

“Shhhh, it’s alright. I’m ok,” V says.

“I… I know,” Judy hiccups, “but there were so many times yesterday when it seemed like it wasn’t going to work out, that the lack of any news meant that you’d died or… or worrying that the relic would flatline you before you could make it to the access point.”

“I know,” V whispers. “And I’m sorry you had to experience that fear. But I love you so much, beautiful, and I’d fight my way through hell and back to get back here to you. And I did. I raided Arasaka tower. Now, I need to speak to Rogue, and tell her that I destroyed Smasher. I started a scroll as soon as I saw him pop through the door. Should give her the real experience of it.”

“Before that, stay a while with me,” Judy says, reaching her hand over to rest just below V’s chest, her eyes asking permission. V nods, her throat dry.

Judy leans over, kissing at V’s neck as she places her hand on her breast, gently cupping her through the fabric of her bra. V moans at the contact, the sound light and breathy. Trying to focus, V moves her hands down to Judy’s waist, pulling her girlfriend over her, and pulls the strap off her shoulder, pushing her pants down her legs.

V lets out another sharp moan as Judy tweaks her nipple, before being muffled by a kiss. V feels Judy’s hands moving to unclasp her bra and does the same to her. Topless together, they press themselves against one another on the bed, V’s hands wandering down Judy’s sides to hook into her underwear and pull it down her girlfriend’s slim legs. Then, with a sudden burst of energy, she flips them over, so Judy is laying below her on the bed. V presses kisses to her jaw, down her neck and her collarbone. She moves further down, swirling her tongue around Judy’s nipple before dragging it across her breasts to the other, then down her stomach and lightly kisses her navel. Judy moans, and then giggles as V reaches her navel, the soft sensation of the kiss tickling her.

Then, V moves down further still, kissing her waist, then the cat tattoo, then laying herself down on the bed between her girlfriend’s thighs, bringing them to her shoulders. Her tongue swipes against her, sliding over her slickness, tasting her. Judy moans, throwing her head back, arching her back and clamping her thighs around V’s head, a hand burying itself in her hair.

V doesn’t let up for a moment, tongue alternating between swiping across her clit and burying itself in her. Judy is breathless above her, trying to muffle her cries with a pillow but only partially succeeding. With a final shout, she feels her climax wash over her, her body trembling and thighs tight against V’s head. The only sound V can hear from her position is Judy’s moans, and the pulse of her body from the thighs tight around her, thundering in her ears. Eventually, Judy relaxes, legs limp on V’s shoulders, body worn out from her climax. V kisses her way back up Judy’s body, making her way up to her mouth, where Judy takes her face in her hands and kisses her for all she’s worth.

“That was fuckin incredible,” Judy murmurs. “Thank you. You’ll have to wait a minute for your turn, you wore me out.” She smirks at V as she says it, leaning up to kiss her again, V moving to meet her. The two relax together, and after a few, Judy tugs at V’s sides.

“C’mon, beautiful, get up. On your knees over me, please?” she asks.

V straddles Judy, moving upwards until her more muscular thighs are spread on either side of her girlfriend’s head, and the headboard right in front of her. Placing her hands on V’s hips, Judy brings her down until her tongue meets her folds, lapping at her, tasting her. Reassuring herself that V is still here, still real after the terrifying events of yesterday. V’s body trembles with the sensations, Judy’s tongue bringing her exquisite pleasure. With her face buried between her thighs, Judy gazes back up at her, the sight nearly causing V to come undone. A few minutes later, she does, trembling, cursing, grabbing the headboard to stay upright as she quakes, Judy continuing to lap her. Eventually, she regains feeling, swinging her leg over and collapsing to the bed next to her girlfriend, who cuddles up to her.

After they’ve sufficiently recovered, Judy swings her legs off the bed, holding her hand out to V, pulling her up and along for a shower. After they’ve cleaned off and changed into fresh clothes, V is once again back in her trademark Samurai jacket and combat boots, while Judy opts to wear one as well. Together, they make their way out of the bedroom to find the others sitting around the room, smirking at them as they enter. A blush suffuses the pale skin of V’s face, but Judy just raises her chin and looks at them.

“Got something to say?” she asks.

“Nope,” Panam replies with a smirk. “Just glad to hear that V is recovering well, is all.”

At that, the rest of the room breaks into laughter, and even V and Judy can’t help but laugh along.

“So,” Vik says, “after you tell us the juicy detes about what went down yesterday, what’s on the agenda for the baddest merc in town?”

V takes a moment, being pulled along by Judy to sit at the table and grab some food. “I think I’m gonna go to The Afterlife and talk to Rogue. She wanted Smasher dead, and I intend to show her that it’s finished. Judy is coming with.”

The others make their way over to take seats around the table. “You said you needed to go see Rogue, show her that Smasher is dead. That mean you really got him?” Kerry asks.

“Yea, yea, alright,” V responds. “After I made my way into the basement, I plugged Alt into the mainframe, which she’s taken over. Adam Smasher caught up to me, and I killed the borg fucker once and for all. After that, I stumbled my way over the access point for Mikoshi, the relic fucking with me all the while. And after I jacked in, Alt told me that I would have had six months to live, but she found a way to redownload me to my body via a new biochip instead of just plunking me back in. So I get to live my life like I should now.”

Judy grabs for V’s hand, squeezing it tight at that. Together, they finish their food, and after they’re done, the two make their way outside to V’s car, sliding in and lacing their hands together. They pull out onto the street, engine purring as they leisurely make their way.

They idle into the parking lot and V offers Judy her hand after they’re out, and they make their way down the steps that lead to the bar that was once a mortuary. The bouncer nearly stops them, not recognizing Judy, before he notices who she is accompanying. The entryway is silent as people recognize who it is. V, the merc who raided Arasaka tower solo. Emmerick nods to V, stepping aside to allow her through the doors. The whispers start as soon as they do. “Holy shit, it’s her.” “That’s V, the chick that raided Arasaka solo and made it out.” “Oh fuck, she’s still kicking?!” The pair ignore the whispers as they make their way across the club, a wave of silence falling as they do so. Rogue looks up, notices the pair, and moves over. Her guard doesn’t even try to stop the pair as they slide into the booth next to her.

“Well, fancy seeing you here Miss V.” Rogue drawls. “I have heard quite the tale about your exploits. Care to confirm them?”

“Whatcha want to know?” V returns.

“I know everyone saw the news footage of you entering and escaping, but what the hell were you after in there?” Rogue asks.

V taps her ears and mouth, signaling that it would be best if she wasn’t overheard. At Rogue’s signal, the others in the booth vacate the area, and a wall of soundproof glass raises around them, opacifying to hide them from prying eyes and ears.

“In Arasaka Tower’s basement is an access point to their server. It allowed me to separate Johnny’s mind and mine, freeing me and saving me from being overwritten and killed by the chip he was on.”

Rogue whistles at that. “Damn V, that’s quite a secret. Anything else I should know?”

V pulls a braindance shard from her pocket, handing it over. Rogue raises her eyebrows, pulling out a wreath to slot it in to start the braindance. Judy and V wait in silence as Rogue watches Smasher charging through the door, V’s blades slicing his mechanical body, ruining the monsters before finally killing him. Rogue surfaces from the braindance, her shaky hands removing the wreath.

“Thank you for that, V” she says. “I needed to see that bastard gone, once and for all. Thank you.”

V nods, standing up from her seat. “Oh, one last thing, V” Rogue says. “I don’t know if you’re still interested, but I could use someone dependable to keep on call for big jobs. You up to the task?”

V stops, standing still for a moment. “Depends if I’m in town or not. If I am, I’ll ring you to let you know,” she says, before she and Judy make their way out of the club and to her car.

“What now?” Judy asks as they slide in.

“Now,” V replies, “we live our lives. You, me, and all of our crazy friends. And maybe we ruin some other Corps along the way.” With a wink at Judy, she pulls the car out of the lot and turns back toward Vik’s, reading to go home. “Didn’t you saw you wanted to leave Night City? I think it’s high time we did so. Let’s see if we can round up as many of our friends and family who might want to go and take off with Panam and the Aldecaldos. Cause this city almost killed me, and I’m sick of it.”


End file.
